A variety of pathological conditions including neoplastic diseases are associated with an increased activity of MMPs. MMPs are a group of serine proteinases that can degrade the extracellular matrix (ECM). MMP are secreted in the extracellular matrix in their zymogen form. Upon activation, MMP enzymatic activity becomes active and digest ECM, a process known to play a major role in cancer metastasis.
They are at least a few members of proteinases within the MMP family, and they include MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-8, MMP-9 and MMP-13. MMP-2 is implicated in primary tumor growth as well as in tumor metastasis. This particular MMP is able to digest collagen and other ECM proteins as a precondition for cancer invasion and metastasis.
Although a great deal of effort is being directed to design and testing of anti-cancer agents, there is a continuing need for a non-toxic therapeutic agent that can effectively block MMP-mediated digestion of ECM, thereby attenuating the spread of cancer and other diseases.